The Tired Reploids
by LazerTH
Summary: My first submission to FanFiction.net! It's worth the read, and has some really fierce combat scenes!


The Tired Reploids   
By LazerTH  
  
Era: Seven months after the Fourth War  
The year is 20XX  
  
The Maverick Hunter HQ at 0700 hours  
  
A soft chime awoke X. He opened his eyes within the stasis capsule, and looked briefly, for what seemed the thousandth time, at the hard gray wall of the pod room.  
It was time to "awake" from his "sleep", or more accurately, "repair cycle/diagnostic scan." It was only necessary to keep his systems functioning ideally in case of a sudden mission. Those sudden missions, as he was a Maverick Hunter, came very often.   
The glass hissed open as X roused himself from the seating position he adopted during his "sleep". He walked from the dark room; the automatic door sliding shut behind him. Yet another day had dawned on Maverick hunter HQ.   
As X strode toward the Control Centre, with the announcer of station 396.8FM reading off the morning news from a radio in a cubicle to his right, he saw a familiar flash of blonde ahead of him. Turning the corner, he saw Zero, the "Red Ripper", heading in the same direction. Zero was the leader of Unit (not surprisingly) Zero, and also the only 'male' reploid of Maverick Hunter HQ with long blonde hair that fell to his feet, beneath which shone his red armour and the hilt of his Z Saber. X was the leader of the 17th Unit, a dark-blue reploid, and well known as the famous Hunter who had succeeded in defeating Sigma over 3 times in the past.  
"Zero! Good morning."  
Zero turned around and greeted his ally.  
"Hey, X. Going to update?"   
"I do it as often as I see the humans drink 'coffee.'"  
They walked on.  
"There hasn't been much action lately. The other Maverick and Irregular Hunters carry out their duties each day, while we wait for missions to turn up."  
"Aren't you glad that the Mavericks haven't decided to wreak havoc since the fourth war, X?"  
"Yes, but I cannot help but feel these premonitions of danger I have sensed lately. I've come to learn that Mavericks only stop the attack to reload their weapons, and then return with full fury on whatever they seek to destroy. The Mavericks are going to do something soon."  
"Yeah, but that's why we're here to stop them! Nothing has ever defeated the Maverick Hunters, and nothing ever will," Zero replied with certainty. "By the way X, have you noticed all those radios that have been appearing all over HQ?"  
X glanced at Zero.  
"Yes, I have. Why is that?"  
"I asked Dr. Cain, and he explained that they were introduced to 'improve and lighten the atmosphere of the working environment' for the reploids and humans of the HQ. Strange, huh? Well, I suppose we all need to ease the tension around this place."  
"You're right. We're more tense around here than 'a highly compressed iridium coil'!" he said, pleased at the joke he had learned from the engineering department.  
They entered the Control Center. Computers and the HQ Mainframe dominated the room, and the soft hum of the machines greeted them as the door closed. A small hunched-over figure was watching the holographic screen generated by the Mainframe in the centre of the room.  
"Dr. Cain?" asked X.  
The old scientist did not turn from the screen.  
"Dr. Cain, what's wrong?" Zero asked, taking a step nearer. The man's appearance gave them the impression that he had shrunk during the last few days.  
"The reploids of Maverick Hunter HQ, X and Zero. Their behavior lately has greatly worried me."  
The two Hunters stood next to Dr. Cain and watched the screen. They looked on with increasing dismay as a reploid carried a huge crate over to a conveyor belt, yawned suddenly, and dropped the crate to the floor, then leaned against it, as if half asleep.  
"The reploids, especially the ones that carry out heavy duty tasks such as this one," he said, and indicated the screen, "have been showing signs of laziness and sometimes exhaustion during the past three days."  
X and Zero exchanged glances.  
"Dr. Cain... the possibilities of a reploid, or any reploid, showing signs of tiredness or exhaustion when undamaged is impossible. Each reploid in the base is fitted with a power generator that supplies an unlimited energy supply to its user..."  
"...And the only time the reploid would show signs of exhaustion is when it is heavily damaged. You are quite right, X, and none of these reploids are damaged in any way."  
"So Dr. Cain, what do you think is causing this?" asked Zero, who was as stumped as X. Dr. Cain sighed uneasily, and shifted his cane.  
"I fear that the entire base is showing signs of becoming Maverick."  
"What do you mean?" demanded X. His fears of another Maverick plot seemed to be coming true.  
"The reploids in the base have become disinterested in work after around half an hour, and then begin to show signs of tiredness. They seem to be rebelling against their workloads. X, Zero, what will become of the Maverick Hunters if they go Maverick themselves?"  
X had been pondering those exact thoughts since the fourth war. What, indeed, would happen if all reploids went Maverick? Would Zero and himself be unaffected? Would the human race survive an entire allegiance of Mavericks across the world? Or would the Mavericks turn against one another and a war ensue, resulting in the possible destruction of civilization?  
"Dr. Cain, I cannot bear the thought of having to neutralize the entire base along with Zero if worst does come to worst."  
"What about the reploids on the outside?" asked Zero after a moment's reflection. Dr. Cain turned thoughtfully to the blonde Hunter.  
"That is a good question, Zero. Let us check what's happening outside."  
Dr. Cain tapped several buttons and the screen before them melted away to a scene of the city outside the base.  
The scene was chaos.  
It seemed as if the entire city had been shut down not long ago. Cars stood stalled in the roads, their reploid drivers seemingly deactivated. The traffic was unimaginable- cars were lined spanning several blocks, their human drivers yelling furiously at one another and the reploids within the cars. People were seen in the road, that were shouting loudly either with anger or confusion at the reploids. The behaviour of the reploids were like the one just viewed inside the base- they had suddenly stopped moving and lay propped up against the nearest solid object, blatantly ignoring the protests from the humans, and half asleep.   
Dr. Cain changed the scene to the new building construct. The foreman looked as if he were about to go nuclear as he yelled at the slack reploid workers around the frame of the new building. It showed one reploid, with headphones on ("What? They listen to radios in the city as well?" said Zero) that was standing several hundred feet above the ground, pounding nails into the metal frame. He was not very enthusiastic, however, and the sledgehammer slipped from his grasp. He tried to lunge forward to grab it, only succeeding in unbalancing himself even more on the narrow beam. They watched as the sledgehammer fell and they almost heard the dull thud as it bounced off another reploid's hard hat head. X and Zero winced. Having a 15 pound slab of tungsten steel smashing into one's head after falling at that speed was not a very pleasant thought. For some reason, the unfortunate reploid beneath the other gave no sign of pain, surprise or even annoyance. He was in a trance like state, as the others were around the building site.  
Dr. Cain pressed a button and the holographic city scene vanished into thin air, as he turned to face the Irregular Hunters. The lines on his ancient face appeared to have been etched deeper. His old eyes met with those of X, then Zero.   
"X. Zero. It seems that we have an admittedly crippling and extremely curious situation that has affected reploids not only within the confines of the Base but across the city as well. I am giving you two instructions to investigate this strange occurrence, target the cause and resolve it before the city and base are permanently affected. If at any time you encounter a Maverick situation, you must act as you see fit. I will also continue to investigate this mystery and fill you in on any useful data I manage to unearth. Carry on."  
"Understood!" Zero replied  
"On my way," chimed in X. The two reploids left the centre.  
"So much for the morning update!"   
  
The Maverick Hunter HQ at 0845 hours  
  
X had found himself quite in over his head. He was accustomed to fighting (and winning) entire wars and Maverick situations, of course, but an incident concerning the entire base, and city, whose reploids were under the influence of 'sleep', was rather out of his league.  
He had spent the past hour and a half haunting the passageways and loading bays of the HQ, questioning the passing reploids on the subject of their premature rest cycles.  
"Wuh, X? I'm trying to take a snooze, yuh know..." complained a hulking reploid from the third loading bay, after which he promptly dozed off again. X shook his shoulder, to no avail. The reploids all around him were slowly, but surely, falling asleep! It was maddening, even for a Hunter. Reploids did not sleep; humans did. Was this a collective attempt by all the reploids to further emulate human habits? Some reploids participated in sports, some amused themselves with video games, and many of them listened to music. Wait a minute. ALL of HQ listened to music. Those radios had been installed not four days ago. Not seeing how he could get anything else out of the reploids in the loading bay, he rushed toward the Control Centre. Dr. Cain should have noticed this.  
Rounding a corner, the first thing he saw was the startled expression of an old man's face. The next thing he knew was that he had slammed into something solid and a moment later was flat on his behind. His sight was plunged into darkness.  
"Hey! What the..."  
He tried to grab the thing that was stuck onto his head.  
"Woah, there, young 'un, that was quite a fall," said a tired old voice, sounding winded. Fingers slipped under the object and a moment later the bucket was wrenched off his head. The old man was leaning against a janitor's cart, holding the bucket and a mop in his hands.  
"Ugh... who are you? And why did you crash into me?" X demanded, scrambling to his feet. The wizened old face looked back at him. It was a reploid's: he had a crooked moustache, most likely bent by the collision, and he wore a Repliforce hat, that had probably belonged to one of the soldiers of the huge reploid army that had supposedly turned Maverick during the fourth war. When X saw the hat, he looked just as startled.  
"What!? A Repliforce soldier? You?"  
"No, young 'un, a janitor is what I am. Been workin' round this base for, well, since I came from the assembly line. And my hat..." he put away the mop, and slid the broad brimmed hat off, revealing a very bald dome with a "J" on the forehead, "This I got from a wreckage brought in from the fourth war. Nifty, ain't it?" he said cheerily, spinning it on his index finger. X stared at him.  
"Well, then, what is your name? I've never seen you before."  
"Huh? You've never seen me? Old Cutilix? One of the first 'hundred reploids created by Dr. Cain? You must be kidding, young 'un."  
"Cyuu-ti-licks? Hold on, if Dr. Cain made you, and you didn't come from the recent assembly lines, why didn't I know about your construction?"  
Cutilix smiled sadly, and looked down at his spinning hat.  
"Well. Dr. Cain did make me, you can be sure of that, but I guess I wasn't the best reploid he ever made. I suppose, instead of telling you, I guess he just appointed me a janitor for the base, and I'm the best darn janitor this base has ever seen."  
"Oh, well, I see. Carry on with your good work, Cutilix," X replied, and walked stiffly to the centre.  
"See you later, young 'un," Cutilix called after him. X heard the wheels creaking as the 'old' janitor pushed his cart down the corridor. He was still spinning his Repliforce hat.  
"'Young 'un?' How am I young? I'm the 'oldest' reploid in this entire base!" X thought, dismissing the notion that Cutilix was older than he was. Reploids never showed physical signs of aging, but Cutilix apparently had been created to look old. Yet another eccentricity of Dr. Cain's... suddenly X stopped. If Cutilix was HQ's janitor, then surely he would know something about the reploids' strange behaviour around the base?... X would question the janitor later. First, he would see Dr. Cain.   
  
Anger.  
Zero was no stranger to anger- he had felt it most of his life at Maverick Hunter HQ. Anger at Mavericks. Anger at the destruction they caused, the lives they took.  
But far exceeding this, anger for Sigma.  
He was pretty sure that the most powerful maverick of all time was not dead. He had survived four consecutive 'deaths'- In the first war, X had destroyed Sigma with Zero's own Buster. In the second, X destroyed Sigma's true form- a virus. In the third war, Zero had given Sigma a dose of Dr. Doppler's Anti-Virus. But none of those had stopped him. In the fourth war, Sigma was vaporized with the rest of the floating fortress in space, the Final Weapon. How Sigma could survive in the cold blackness of space and return to Earth was beyond him. But, some day, Sigma would be totally destroyed, hopefully by Zero's Z-Saber. The Mavericks had to be crushed over and over again until Sigma's true defeat, and when that defeat was to come, Zero honestly did not know.   
For now, Zero's anger was directed at the reploid in front of him that had dropped off to dreamland (Did Reploids dream? Yes- he did. What about the others?) As Zero had been talking to him- just like that! He was tempted to whip out his Z Saber and slash apart the column that the insolent reploid was leaning against. Zero disapproved of slackness, especially since he was the leader of the Maverick Hunters.   
"Hey you- wake up!" he yelled. The reploid grumbled. Zero wished that he could teach this one a lesson, but attacking fellow non-Mavericks was unbecoming of their leader. His fists clenched.  
WHAM!   
Part of the column was bent out of shape as Zero's fist crashed into it.  
"Agh!"  
At least it woke the lazy robot.   
"Look you, I'm only going to ask this once- why are you falling asleep!"  
Rubbing his eyes, he scowled at Zero.  
"I'm tired, Zero! Can't you see that? And why did ya have to damage the column? You could've brought the ceiling down!" it whined. Zero did a facial expression that suggested something underneath his nose had a bad smell. When the tired reploid looked up, Zero was gone.   
  
"Dr. Cain!"  
The ex-archeologist looked at the azure Hunter that had bounded into the room.   
"Yes, X, did you discover anything?"  
"Dr. Cain, all the reploids that have showed signs of tiredness have been listening to radios!"  
"What do you mean, X?" he asked, shifting his weight to his cain.   
"I mean that all the Maverick Hunters inside the base and all the reploids outside of the base have all been listening to radios. I think that the radios are somehow causing these sleep effects."  
Dr. Cain looked quizzically at X. His eyes narrowed slightly.  
"But X, why haven't you been falling asleep, and Zero too?"  
"I don't own a radio. There was never one in the recharge bay. I don't know if Zero has been listening to radios either. Dr. Cain, this sounds very strange, but it's the radios that are causing these sleep effects! There can't be any other reason for it!"  
"Calm down, X. I believe your assumptions are correct, however, we need more time to figure this out..."  
"There is no more time, Doctor! This must be some kind of Maverick plot! THEY MAY BE OUTSIDE HQ THIS VERY MOMENT!!"  
"...."  
X saw the look on Dr. Cain's face and caught himself. Years of fighting the Mavericks had made him slightly paranoid, even though he was very trusting to his friends. If he did not check his oil pressure every now and then, he might explode from sheer anxiety.  
"Uh, I'm sorry..."  
"No need to apologize, X. We're all worried about this now."  
A brilliant thought hit X.  
"Dr. Cain! Who... who suggested that radios be used in HQ?"  
Dr. Cain's eyebrows raised slightly. He shifted his weight again.  
"A reploid by the name of Demoid. What...."  
"No time, Dr. Cain! I'll report back later!"  
The doors hissed open and shut. The Maverick Hunter was doing what he did best- hunt.  
  
Zero rubbed his fists as he walked down the corridor. Progress- Zero. Findings- Zero. Everything today had been a Zero. He had no idea what was causing all the reploids to somehow fall asleep. Maybe he should go check on X...  
"Huh? What's that..."  
Snatches of singing came from further down the corridor, accompanied by the squeaking of rusty wheels.  
"Ohhhh, the janitor of this base, I am, I am, I mop out these floors as best as I can, but those Hunters like to make mess they do, sooooooooo... I just mop it up, sweep it up, and clear it up, and what happens after that? Oh of course, the Hunters go and mess it up, mess it up..."  
"Hey, who are you?"  
"Hey there, young 'un- I saw your friend just now."  
The old reploid pushed his cart forward and Zero placed his hand on it, stopping the incessant squeaking. He looked up at the blond Hunter that had interrupted his singing.  
"Woah, nice hair you got. Don't have any of my own, you know..."  
"I try to keep it neat... anyway, you've met X? And do you know about this situation we have?"  
"You mean those 'slack-offs' around the base? Terrible, it is, with them not doing their duties around the place. I've got a mind to whack 'em with this here mop," he said, brandishing it like a Beam Saber, "and tell them to switch off those radios they always listen to and remind them that the reason they're here is to work hard, just like me. Especially like me, in fact, with you Hunters always running around and blowing up stuff. Who do think cleaned up the colossal mess you and X made in the base during the 3rd war? Me."  
Zero stared at him. He let go of the cart and ran a hand through his silky hair.  
"Uhm... so you know about the situation."  
"Well, yes, and that blue friend of yours made a huge dent in my cart. Just look at it..."  
Zero looked down, bewildered. Two large dents in the metal were on the front end of the cart, presumably from X's boots.  
"Well, anyway, young 'un, I'll be off now. I heard that some careless engineers spilled industrial acid all over the carpet in lounge three... see you later."  
As the janitor walked past, Zero asked his name.  
"What? Your blue friend didn't know me either. I'm Cutilix. Good day, Zero."  
As the cart moved along the corridor and turned the corner, Cutilix started to sing again.  
  
The Maverick Hunter HQ at 0930 hours  
  
A huge crowd had gathered in Docking Bay 3. Almost all reploids of HQ were in the bay, gathered underneath a hovering platform. On that stood a tall, purple-armoured reploid with sharp, green eyes made dull from whatever was causing the sleep effects.  
"Fellow Reploids! For the past three days we have all seemed to become increasingly weary of our workload. As a reploid, I know that we are never supposed to become tired like the humans do. It is the humans that concern what I am about to say..."  
Mutters from the crowd increased. The purple reploid eyed them and continued.  
"Fellow Reploids, I believe I know what is causing our weariness- overwork from the humans!"  
"Huh? What is he talking about?"  
"Are the humans really responsible for this?"  
"It's true you know. We work much harder than they do."  
These were the whispers that came from the crowd. The reploid on the platform raised a hand for silence. All eyes (or rather, visual units) focused on him.  
"However, I think we can solve this problem. All we must do is ask for a lighter workload and shorter working hours! The humans cannot refuse us. We do all the dangerous work for them. We have too long served to please. If we get tired of our work, then I say we shall NOT WORK!"  
Cheers came from the crowd. The reploid smiled and directed the platform to a reploid with a huge belt around his waist holding an assortment of tools.  
"You here, for example, Riker, you're an electrician right? How many hours do you work per day?"  
Riker looked around him anxiously as every reploid turned to him.  
"Er... I'm on call around thirty hours, and then I have a repair period of five hours..."   
"You see?" the reploid said triumphantly, cutting off Riker. He raised the platform high above their heads. "We work ceaselessly all day long! We must settle for shorter working periods!"   
They were really cheering now. He smiled. When a particular Hunter appeared in the doorway on the far end of the room, however, his euphoria vanished. X. He would never approve of this. But, did not the reploids have rights to comfort as well as the humans? Maybe X would see sense after he talked with him. Something about the way X was glaring at him from that distance suggested that he was more than disappointed.  
Leaving the reploids to return to their duties, he hovered to the doorway and hopped lightly to the ground. The two confronted each other.  
"Ah, X, you've arrived too late for the meeting."  
"Dozer, what do you think you're doing? You might cause all these reploids to riot!"  
Dozer glared back at X.  
"I am not going to cause ANY riot, X. In fact, I'm trying to prevent one. If these reploids here don't get lighter working conditions they might riot whether I influence them or not. Not only in the base, reploids across the city might turn Maverick if they continue to lose energy and the humans always complain around them. So you see, X, if they are not satisfied, you'll have a much worse situation than now."  
He smiled again. X looked levelly at him. Dozer returned the look.  
"Dozer, you have put into the minds of all the reploids here that the humans are to blame for their tiredness. It is my priority to prevent any Maverick action, and I will not hesitate to stop the cause of it."  
Sparks could have flown between the two reploids as they glared at one another. Eventually Dozer smiled again, although bitterly, and boarded the platform.  
"You don't understand, X. How could you, a Hunter, the most violent of us all?"   
The platform whined a little as it shot off to parts unknown.  
"I'm not violent by choice. If a robot harms a human, I have to stop it, no matter what I believe in," he said quietly, then moved from the doorway to find Demoid.  
  
While mopping up the neutralized acid from the carpet, Cutilix suddenly yawned. This surprised him. When he was done, he yawned again. He listened to the radio nearby that was playing a song called "Cold Fusion between us". Not liking the slow tune, he stretched out and switched it off. Instantly, his weariness vanished.  
"Weird. Wonder if those kids noticed that."  
He shuffled off with his cart to another part of HQ. He really disliked those clumsy Engineers. It seemed to be their second duty to provide him with dirty floors. Not that he disliked his work, of course.  
  
The Maverick Hunter HQ at 0956 hours  
  
"Demoid! I want to speak to you."  
"Eh?"  
The yellow-clad reploid turned around quickly to find X walking calmly toward him from the passage Why shouldn't he be calm? He was the famous Megaman X, of course.  
"What do you want, Sir?" He asked, plainly annoyed. Humph. Just because he was a leader of a Unit didn't mean he could barge in and disturb his work.  
"Demoid, Dr. Cain told me that you brought radios to Maverick Hunter HQ. Is that right?"  
If reploids could sweat, Demoid would have been doing just that. Frowning to hide his all too-obvious nervousness, he said that they were supposed to lighten the atmosphere around HQ.  
"I know that, Demoid. But I think your radios do more than that."  
Grr. X thought he was such a know-it-all.   
"What- whatever do you mean, Sir?" he asked, grinning unpleasantly. X narrowed his eyes at him.  
"I have reason to believe that the radios you brought to HQ are causing sleep effects. I wonder if it was you who also introduced them to the city. Tell me Demoid, what is causing the radios to make the sleep effects?"  
Demoid just stood there, still grinning.  
"Tell me!"  
His disturbing grin was getting to X. Without waiting for a further answer, he turned on his heel and left the cubicle.   
Grrr. Megaman X would ruin everything if he were allowed to inform that blasted Dr. Cain about this incident.   
"So why should he be allowed to walk off like that?" Asked a part of his mind. His grin left him and was replaced by pure hatred. From his palms protruded two laser blades. Kill, kill, kill...  
"rrrrRRRAAAARGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!" he yelled, leaping at X, blades-first. They found their mark, and savagely tore into the blue reploid.  
"AAAGGHH!!!!"  
X collapsed, suffering major damage. Laughing now, with all shreds of sanity long gone, Demoid leaped over X's body and shot off down the passageway before help could arrive. He noticed, as he ran madly toward the garage, that some vile Maverick Hunter had set off an alarm. He had had his moment of glory, to (he hoped) kill Megaman X. Oh, how his master would reward him if he had...  
  
"MAVERICK HUNTER ZERO SCRAMBLE IMMEDIATELY. REPEAT. MAVERICK HUNTER ZERO SCRAMBLE IMMEDIATELY."  
Zero knew what that meant. Party time! He made his way as fast as he could to the Control Centre, amid general alarm from all other reploids.  
"Situation?" he asked, dashing into the Centre. Dr. Cain met him there.   
"Zero! A Maverick has reportedly damaged X and is now trying to escape with a Land Chaser. Pursue, detain, but do not destroy him. I wish to know who sent him.  
"Understood. Take care of X, Dr. Cain."  
Excited by the chase, Zero ran on flying boots to the garage. Dr. Cain knew what he was doing, but if that Maverick took HIS BIKE...  
  
"Wait! You're not allowed access here..."  
"Not allowed? Well, it seems that I'll have to let myself in."  
"What do you..."  
Whatever the guard was about to say was 'cut short' by his upper torso being severed from the rest of his body. His expression was transfixed into one of horror as what was left of his body hit the floor. Circulatory fluid (oil?) flowed freely around Demoid's ankles. Kneeling into the dark red pool, he took the long-range ShockSlammer from the dead guard's hand.  
"Insignificant Reploids. You all have no idea how futile your efforts are against my master!" the yellow Maverick said, retracting his arm blades as he kicked the remains to one side. He smashed the door control and the garage lay before him. The Land Chasers and an assortment of vehicular transport for the Maverick Hunters were placed in racks or being serviced at repair stations. All eyes of the reploids or humans in the garage were fixed onto him as he strode into the light. He flashed a grin at them all, as he cocked the ShockSlammer in his dripping hands.  
"Good afternoon, fellow Reploids and Humans alike. Your guard was quite rude to me, and, oh, how shall I say this? I laid him to rest. Now, unless any of you want to be done the same..." he leveled the gun at his side, "I suggest, in the kindliest manner, to allow me to escape. Now, which one of these beauties shall I take..."  
He walked toward the nearest Land Chaser. Those around him gave the Maverick a wide berth. They had heard of and experienced many encounters with Mavericks before, so at least they would live to tell this tale by not interfering.  
"Ah, good, this'll do..."  
"Hey! Get away from that!"  
Demoid sighed and turned to face Zero. He noticed that his boots were redder than usual.  
"Zero! What an unpleasant surprise! I take it that you've seen my handiwork?"  
Zero was visibly outraged. He pointed a finger toward Demoid, and his hand converted to the Zero-Buster. It began charging, the whine slowly increasing.  
"There are two ways out of HQ for you, Maverick! One is by Land Chaser. The other is to be carted away in a million pieces as the latest junk pile! Which one do you choose?"  
"Don't play games with me, Zero. You're just another power-corrupt Hunter like X! How could you understand what Reploids and Mavericks alike go through?"  
"That's simple. It's because I WAS BOTH!"  
The shot fired. It screamed through the air and exploded at Demoid's boots. But the Maverick had already boarded the Chaser. He was laughing.  
"Ha ha ha! So long, Zero! Since you're part of each side, don't get any personality disorders while I'm away!"  
He spun the bike around, blasted a hole through the garage door (as reploids and humans dived for cover) and shot outside, still laughing maniacally.  
Zero hesitated for the briefest moment before his own Land Chaser, marked in bold red letters on the side as the RED RIPPER, hovered next to him. He looked up at the reploid that delivered it.  
"Zero... Get it, that thing for us. For the guard, too."  
The blonde Hunter boarded his Chaser quickly, and swore,   
"I will."  
  
HQ Repair Centre at 1020 hours  
  
"X!"  
Faint glimmers of consciousness aroused X from the stasis 'sleep'.  
"X! Can you hear me?"  
"D-Dr. Cain... Demoid, he..."  
"I know that Demoid attacked you, X. He's escaped on a Land Chaser and has left the city. Zero is in hot pursuit, so he'll never get away."  
"He... brought the radios to HQ. You've got to get rid of them, Doctor."  
"No sooner said than done, X. Now, rest. Your repair cycle is not complete."  
X slept. His dreams were of the blades exploding through his chest cavity, and him falling to the floor. Make the dreams stop, he said. Make them stop...  
  
30+ kilometres outside of the city at 1024 hours  
  
"Argggh! He's still after me!" Demoid growled as he glanced back at Zero who was in pursuit on his Land Chaser. The red Hunter's hair was whipped up by the wind as the two tried to outrun the other at speeds over 400kph.  
"You're not getting away Demoid! Not after what you did to X!"  
"I would like to see you stop me! The speed of these bikes is equal! The only time you'll pass me is when my fuel runs out!" he shouted back.  
Zero frowned. The Maverick was right. However...  
"It's time to end this race!"  
He gunned the bike into overdrive. The engine whined as the front part of the bike lifted into the air and the land chaser did a speed dash!  
"What!"  
"Now THIS is what I call HOT PURSUIT!!"  
With the bike still in the speed dash, Zero released the handles of the bike. As the Red Ripper edged nearer to the bike Demoid was on, he leaped into the air, and performed an air dash: landing on the seat behind Demoid!  
"Hey! Get off MY BIKE!"  
"WHY DON'T YOU JOIN ME?!" Zero yelled above the roar of the wind, whipping out his green/white Beam Saber (also known as the Z-SABER) and bringing it down with tremendous force.  
"What the heck..!"  
FSSSHAAAAASSHH!!  
With the sound effect mentioned above, the Saber sliced through the bike, cutting it into two parts. Both spun crazily out of control and the two reploids (one a Maverick) had no choice but to leap off before the fuel exploded. Demoid landed on his feet over a hundred feet from Zero, who skidded to a halt in the dust, re-sheathing his Saber. The afternoon sun was high above as the Maverick and Maverick Hunter faced off.  
Zero examined his adversary. About his height, yellow and white armour from head to boots. His legs were thinner than Zero's, betraying a weakened jumping ability. But from each of his palms came a blue laser blade that could make up from his theoretically weak jumps. Why did the blades come from his palms and not from on top his wrists? Perhaps the odd design was meant to grip the enemy while impaling them? Zero did not wish to be on the receiving end.  
"This is nice! Just the two of us now! I suppose you'll want to call for backup?" Demoid jeered.  
"That was a valuable piece of machinery you forced me to destroy! Now you'll pay for it!"  
"Ah, yes, your true nature has begun to emerge I see! I suppose you'll want to use your Saber to remove my head? Or maybe you'll get rid of my arms and legs first, just to hear me scream in pain? I know how you love to kill!"  
Zero frowned under the blazing sun, as dust devils swirled around him. This Maverick was more perceptive than most, or was he telling the truth? Did Zero really enjoy destroying Mavericks?   
"It may be so, Maverick, but I destroy to protect those who cannot protect themselves from the likes of you!"  
"Oh, REALLY? It seems that YOU need protection from ME about now! Get ready to fight, Hunter!"  
"Any time!"  
Moving far faster that any human could match, Demoid charged full speed across the dusty ground toward Zero, his palms spread wide with the deadly blades at the ready. Dust was kicked up in clouds behind his boots. Zero just stood there.   
"Conserve your energy. Let him make all the moves," Zero thought.   
"Wait for it..."  
His arm converted to the Z Buster.  
"Die!!" Demoid screeched.  
"Now!"  
Zero kicked off the ground on his boosters. At the same time he charged a shot. Twisting in mid-flight, he aimed with pinpoint accuracy (what else would you expect with a guy with a CPU in his head?) and fired. The red-orange shot struck Demoid on his left shoulder, and sent him sprawling on the ground. As he heard the cannon start to charge again, he dug one hand into the ground then flipped into the air as the next shot narrowly missed his spinning body. He spun around to face Zero after his acrobatics, rubbing his shoulder gingerly.  
"Round one goes to you, Zero. Might I say, you are an excellent shot."  
"Why, thank you. Now, feel my blade!"  
He drew out his Saber and held it with both hands.   
"As a deceased maverick said once, GET READY!"  
They both rushed at each other at once, their legs pumping like pistons across the battlefield. Zero came running as a samurai, with his Saber held to the side and head low. Demoid just ran flat out, and the air sizzled as blades clashed. Leaping apart, they charged again. With the same speed as before, Demoid came running. However, at the last second, he ducked low. Zero brought down his saber to whack Demoid on his damaged shoulder, but the Maverick had other plans. Mimicking the Mega Man slide of ages long past, he avoided the blow and slid past Zero then turned, grabbed Zero's boot from behind while driving the blade in at the same time. The red hunter uttered a cry as he slammed into the ground.   
Pain. Lots of pain. Arrrggghhhh...   
"Heh heh heh. The brave Hunter has fallen at last. How does it feel, Zero?"  
"Like... what I'm about to do to YOU!"  
With supreme effort, he pushed off the ground with a handstand, turning in the air to land feet first. Thank goodness for strong leg boosters.  
"NNNGGGHH! That blade went in deep..."  
"Shame on you Zero! You shouldn't cry during battle!" he jeered again.  
"Weep for yourself!"  
"You have really good comeback lines, did you know that? I wonder if your fighting skills are as good as them?"  
"Is it just me, or does the Sigma Virus have a symptom that causes you to talk too much?"  
"Why don't you get the virus and find out!"  
Despite his damaged leg, Zero managed to zoom toward Demoid once more, ever the relentless fighter that made him 'Special A Class Hunter'. Demoid underestimated Zero this time. Thinking that Zero would try for a low attack as he had done, he slashed downward at the speeding figure. He slashed empty air.   
"Wha..."  
Zero had dashed off the ground to execute the "Kuuenbu", an aerial attack that made him and the saber spin in a circle!  
SLASH!  
"GAAAHHH!!" he screamed, as the saber caught him in the back of his head, seriously damaging his neural circuitry. With his head smoldering, he crashed into the ground. Zero landed far behind him, also crashing into the ground as his damaged leg crumpled under the impact of the fall. Demoid groaned, and was silent. Zero knelt on one knee, panting, as he looked for signs of life on the Maverick. None were apparent from this distance.   
Several minutes passed as Zero allowed his auto-repair systems to partially rejuvenate his leg. Then, grunting slightly, he got up and limped over to his fallen enemy. He was face down in the dust, blades retracted. He booted him over so that he lay face up.   
"I hope that you are at rest now, Maverick."  
Demoid's eyes opened!  
"Uh?!"  
With a last gesture of hatred to his mortal enemy, Demoid slashed at Zero's unharmed leg, ripping right across it, but not enough to sever.  
"ARGH! DIE!" Zero roared, whipping out his saber and executing the 'coup de gras' by thrusting his saber into the cursed maverick so that it stuck out of his chest like a flagpole. The Maverick went stiff; a shuddering gasp escaped his lips.   
As Demoid lay there, fully aware that he was about to die, his memories were replayed in his mind. He was a programmer for HQ when built. Years later when on a 'field trip' a maverick had attacked the transport unit he and several other reploids were on. Somehow, the Sigma Virus (a virus that caused any reploid who contracted it to go insane with murderous thoughts to any human or sometimes reploid) infected his system. He did not go insane, however, but rather he became calmer as a greater understanding filled his mind. His fellow programmers had no idea why he suddenly became more reclusive than ever, avoiding both humans and reploids alike. His new master, Sigma, spoke to him in his head of how he would achieve incredible knowledge when humans and their reploid 'slaves' were destroyed, especially the Maverick Hunters that 'only sought to please the humans'. The remaining reploids would all be infected and follow Sigma, who would build a nation of Reploids, a superior race to that of humans. Demoid stayed in HQ until this day: when his master told him that it was the time to lash out at the enemy. He attacked X, and then escaped, to be followed by Zero, and now...  
Now, he was dying. Finally dying.  
"I hope you're happy... Zero... Sigma told me that you were a fierce fighter... I knew that I had no chance, but... I wanted... to... test...myself..."  
"What! Do you mean that Sigma's ALIVE?" Zero shouted. Demoid's voice grew ever fainter as he spoke again.  
"He... is here, on Earth...He said that...there... will be... no... peace... for you..."  
Demoid's systems ceased to function. Zero's thoughts hung on his last words. Somehow, he knew that there was a truth in them. He would have to report all he had heard to Dr. Cain, who would decide the next course of action. Looking away from the body, he turned on the communicator.  
"Zero to HQ. Maverick has been put out of commission. Request a transport for the body."  
"Acknowledged," Dr. Cain's voice replied, "It will be sent directly to my laboratory. I suppose that you will visit the repair centre."  
"Roger that Dr. Cain. I will have some disturbing information for you when I return to base. Zero out."  
Zero turned, closed his eyes, and disappeared in a beam of red light.   
  
HQ Repair Centre at 1326 hours  
  
The light on the pod changed from amber to green. Several hours ago it had flashed red. Megaman X lay in its interior, and consciousness came slowly to him. His first impulse was to check his armour plate: he ran his hand slowly over the cool, hard surface, not detecting damage to it at all. The pod had served its purpose well. A servo unit greeted him as he stepped out that informed him of Zero's victory.  
"Is he alright?"  
"Yes, sir," it chirped. "He was admitted to the pod across the room after his return, since both his legs had been damaged during the fight."  
"What about the maverick?"  
"It was teleported to Dr. Cain's laboratory. Dr. Cain is currently studying its remaining memory chips."  
X flinched slightly at the word 'remaining'. Whatever Zero had done out there, he had done it thoroughly.   
"Thanks."  
The servo unit rolled away as X traversed the floor to Zero's pod. His friend was till in stasis, but his legs appeared fine. He waited awhile and the amber light turned green, indicating systems repair to be 100% complete. Zero opened his eyes and grinned when he saw X. He brushed away a strand of hair from his face.  
"Too bad you couldn't watch me on a view-screen while I was out there. That maverick got his fair share of slashes after he gave some to me."  
X returned the grin.  
"There's always a next time, Zero."  
At that moment a view-screen beeped on the wall. X strode over and activated it, and Zero left the pod to stand beside him.  
"Dr. Cain!" X exclaimed.  
"X, Zero. I take it that you're both feeling OK?"  
"Yes. What did you learn from the, er, remaining memory chips?"  
"That's why I called you. The data has a new sort of encryption on them; probably Demoid did it himself. It will take at least three hours to decode it all."  
"Well, when you're ready, give us a call. By the way, were all the radios cleared out of HQ?"  
"They were. I alerted the mayor and police force of the city and the rest of the radios that have been purchased since last week have been totally recalled for inspection. I will call you when I am finished here. Cain out."  
X turned to Zero.  
"Three hours! I won't know what to do with myself!"  
"Have our assignments really come that often?"  
"Well, you both can help me scrub the docking bays of our beloved HQ!"  
The voice came from down the hallway, outside of the repair centre. They both knew by now what the sound of squeaky wheels brought with it.  
"Cutilix..." they both said at once.  
The wizened 'old' janitor, humming some ditty, halted his cart (that contained who knows what) and turned to face the two much 'younger' looking reploids he had called out to. Wearing his Repliforce hat and holding a mop, he grinned at them.   
"X! Zero! You both know my name! How nice..."  
"Scrubbing out docking bays is not my idea of time being spent wisely," said Zero, referring to Cutilix's former remark. The janitor turned to watch Zero (Zero almost heard a creak as the reploid moved)-  
"Oh! So you are one of those who prefer to waste their own time," he said, then leaned on his mop and hummed slightly.   
"Let me tell you, young 'un, that your idea of dirty duty is a far cry from the messes I've seen. Why, transmission fluid from a tanker-carrier (along with 96% of its liquid cargo) was slopped all over Docking Bay 1, when the darn pilot forgot to activate the landing gear. He was a human you know. His kind seems to fudge up something as a daily chore. Anyway, after the thing crashed and cracked open like an egg, it took twelve service robots (and myself, of course) over sixteen hours to clean up that awful mess. You think chasing Mavericks is hard? Try being a janitor for one day around here."  
"Uh... I believe you," Zero said, absently scratching the back of his head and averting his gaze from Cutilix and his mop.  
"A janitor, huh?" X mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he looked at the mop Cutilix was holding. Zero gaped at X wide-eyed.  
"X! Have your neural circuits been re-routed? You are considering to become a- a janitor?"  
"Hey, why not? I need a break from all the fighting. I'll help you clean up, Cutilix."  
Zero slapped his forehead in amazement.  
"WHAT! No way..."  
"Hee hee hee! Somebody just saw the light."  
"Don't worry, Zero! It's only for the next three hours."  
"But, this is ridiculous!" he protested as X began to walk out with Cutilix.  
"Have no fear, Zero! I don't think the Mavericks will attack the base while X isn't at your side."  
"Uh, right. Well, then, see you later, X. I have some real work to do."  
"You mean taking an early rest cycle?"  
If reploids could blush, Zero would have done so right then.  
  
Somewhere in the city before 1630 hours   
  
A shadowy figure (I know that this is stereotypical, but it's for the surprise factor) watched the holograph-sphere with disinterest as he viewed the manufacture of the radios. Under a holographic disguise, he had offered a new device that when integrated with a radio's circuits would 'heighten sensitivity to radio frequencies'. He had bothered to contact that programmer, Demoid, and control him so that he could invent the device because of a greater plan. Within that same device was a far more complex set of circuitry, of his own making, that had wreaked havoc in the city and Maverick Hunter HQ. He had hoped to destroy the HQ while they suspected every reploid within the base to be a Maverick, but now that accursed X had informed Dr. Cain of what the radios were truly for. Now, all the radios were being recalled, and the output of these radios would surely be traced to the source. But... how amusing: surely the Hunters X and Zero would come here if they suspected Maverick-type activity at work. When they did come, they would never again see the light of day. Not even those two could defend themselves (for very long) against a factory full of Irregulars. He would ensure that every robot and machine turned Irregular, so that the two famous Hunters would never escape. He had realized long ago that those two Hunters were the only things that had prevented him from wiping out all humans, and making the world a place ruled only by reploids. As a team, nothing could defeat those two... but soon, that would change.   
He smiled, watching the sphere.  
  
Cain Labs at 1630 hours  
  
Dr. Cain stared at the screen, sweating under his lab coat despite the air conditioning. He had processed the encrypted data through the HQ's mainframe, and the readable data was sent back to him. What the screen read out was beyond belief. Sigma... here on Earth? Sigma was alive? After being destroyed along with the Final Weapon in outer space? It was mind numbing. The greatest threat to mankind was back on Earth, and Dr. Cain supposed that it was Sigma who had caused radios to put the reploids to 'sleep'. Was it he that had also infected Demoid with the Sigma Virus? It was most likely. He shivered now, in that large lab coat of his. Was another war to erupt? What would happen to mankind and the Earth itself? Unfortunately, none of the unencrypted data answered his questions. But, he knew this much: Sigma is alive, he is able to infect reploids with the Sigma Virus, and therefore poses another threat to humanity. What solution did Dr. Cain have for this problem? There was no general solution. There could only be a specific solution when an immediate threat arose. For now, he would watch and wait, watch and wait...  
A beep from the Teleporter station announced the arrivals of X and Zero. He would have to tell them the terrible news of Sigma's survival. As he heaved his old frame out of the chair, he paused for a moment. Was this the disturbing news that Zero had promised to tell him of?   
"X, what possessed your mind to do that kind of work?"  
"I don't know, Zero. Maybe it's a new strain of the Sigma Virus that caused me to enjoy hard labour."  
"We already have enough work to do; I thought that you would enjoy a little rest instead."  
"We think differently. We act differently. What else can I say?"  
"Ah, X, I see you've been... occupied," Dr. Cain said, trying with supreme effort to keep a straight face as the two emerged from the teleporter station. X had a dirty cloth tied around his head like a bandana, along with an apron tied to his waste, that was stained with all manner of oil, grease, and soaked with water. A pungent smell came from him, causing Cain to wrinkle his nose.  
"Um, X, why didn't you remove that apparel from you?" he asked, wondering if X should have taken a good hosing down also. X considered the apron and grinned.  
"I was mocked at for three hours, jeered at from time to time (well, what would you expect from reploids who had seen their commander doing janitorial work?),  
But I feel strangely... satisfied."  
Zero's eyes were at the point of popping out of his head (I mean that literally; he is a reploid capable of removing any machinery from his body) so he forced himself to frown instead.   
"X, do the words 'totally insane' mean anything to you?"  
"Why should you care Zero?"  
"Because you are my friend!"  
"I once heard that friends are supposed to let friends pursue whatever makes them happy."  
"X, friends don't allow friends to destroy their own reputation as a respected Maverick Hunter."   
X shrugged. Why argue with Zero? I know that my actions are beyond logical reason, and far from what is expected of a commander, X thought to himself. But, I am not a logical machine. I have my own mind: my own whims and beliefs.  
Dr. Cain motioned X and Zero to the large screen.   
"Here are the raw data patterns I read from Demoid's memory chips. You may find it shocking."  
X and Zero did not need a translation of the raw data. Without conscious thought, their CPU's translated the images they saw on the screen to data they could understand.  
"...What! Sigma is alive?" X exclaimed. Zero did not appear surprised; he already knew.  
"That is what I was going to tell you, Dr. Cain. Sigma is back. He has never given up easily, has he."  
"No, Zero, he has not. Our enemy is still at large. I also found out the location of the factory that had manufactured the radios."  
"Excellent! Now we can permanently shut down this operation. Where is it, Dr. Cain?" Zero asked, excited for the hunt once again.  
"It's within the city, not surprisingly."   
He told them the location. 'McGraff Radios Inc.' was the company that owned the factory. It was the second factory set up by the company within the city.  
"Another thing. Only Regular robots run the factory. There is a human staff of one dozen, though. I am sure they will understand the situation. They will shut down the factory for you, unless..."  
"...All the Regular robots have turned Irregular," X finished.  
Regular robots are the 'normal' robots that, although they do not have minds of their own like reploids do, are installed with high-tech systems to carry out tasks. However, when these systems fail, they are called 'Irregulars' that have dangerous potential to use the capabilities they were programmed with to cause destruction, and may harm the human populace in the process. They are not considered 'Maverick' because they do not go crazy by choice. An Irregular Hunter's job was to stop those Irregulars from causing any damage or injury. X and Zero were such Hunters.  
"Well, we'll just have to clean up the factory if they have become Irregular," said Zero.  
"What? You said 'clean up' when you are against janitorial duty? You surprise me, Zero!" X laughed. Zero cast him an angry glance and growled deep in his throat. Dr. Cain turned from them and stared at the screen.  
"You are ordered to scramble. And I don't need to tell you- be careful."  
"On our way!" they both said.   
  
The McGraff Inc. Radio Factory at 1700 hours  
  
He was in the office, above the activity of the factory below. Those Maverick Hunters were taking quite some time to arrive. In any case, he would release a small portion of the Virus to turn every robot and machine irregular. The humans, screaming as they ran from the factory, would surely attract their attention. Without wasting too much energy, he created a small green sphere. This would sow the seeds of destruction. At a single thought the sphere dissolved into wisps that flew outside the office and down to the work area below. Within thirty seconds the humans began to realize that their machines were going berserk. Screams of terror came from below as the humans were attacked. The machines did not attack each other; the virus saw to that. Someday, he thought, there would no longer exist a human race, if this evening's plans went well. Without X and Zero to oppose him, there would be no other force on Earth capable of stopping him. He smiled as the pathetic humans ran in terror. None of them escaped without injury.  
"You are lucky to escape, humans. But X and Zero will never leave here alive! Heh heh heh..."  
  
The factory gates at 1701 hours  
  
From the sky, two beams, one of blue light and one of red light flew toward the ground. X and Zero materialized moments later. X no longer wore the bandana and apron, thankfully.  
"What happened here!?" exclaimed X.   
"What we expected! The robots have turned Irregular!"  
The screams were still coming out of the factory. A man dressed in brown overalls, clutching his left arm, tottered up to them.  
"You... you are Maverick Hunters?" he gasped.   
"Yes, we are. What happened in the factory?" Zero demanded  
"Ugh... the robots all went nuts and started to attack everyone! There are still some trapped inside!"  
"We'll handle the situation. Gather the rest of the people and call a hospital for assistance," X ordered.  
"Yes, I will... and thank you!"   
He watched them run off toward the factory. And wondered why the blue one had smelt so funny.  
  
He smiled. The cameras at the entrance showed the two Hunters racing toward the building. Why rush to their death? They should save their energy for what was about to be the fight of their lives.  
  
The doors to the factory were open. X and Zero rushed inside. Of course, the lights in the factory had been switched off. Why shouldn't they be? It was eerily silent. As they crossed the doorway, the lights blared on.  
"What happen?!" X exclaimed.  
The assembly lines were twisted sheets of metal; the floor was littered with broken radios or radio parts. Groans came from behind a large metallic crate.  
"Somebody set this place up the Irregulars," Zero replied.  
"We get signal," X said, indicating the crate.  
"What!" said Zero, about to move toward the crate.  
"Main spotlight turn on!"   
A spotlight suddenly switched on at the second floor at the command.  
"It's you!" they both shouted.   
"How are you gentlemen!" called a very familiar voice. Both stopped in their tracks.   
Their archenemy, Sigma, stood on the second floor of the factory.   
As a good arch-enemy should, he was grinning. He was dressed (equipped) in his usual green armour and brown boots. His bald skull gleamed in the spotlight, and the red orb set into his forehead also shone with luster. Here stood the most powerful and dangerous maverick ever to exist.  
"I got your message from Demoid, Sigma. It is unusual for you to predict that I will have no peace when we're about to put you in pieces!"   
"Clever as always, aren't you, Zero? Let us find out how cleverness will save your life NOW!"  
Sigma pushed down the main breaker and the machines all came to life. Correction: all the Irregulars came to life. The two Maverick Hunters suddenly had to become 'Irregular Hunters': a job they did while pursuing mavericks.  
"Welcome to my Irregular Factory. Please, enjoy your stay!" Sigma laughed as he melted into the shadows. Irregulars walled them off on all sides.  
"We shouldn't stay together. Spread out! They'll have to concentrate on two targets instead," X commanded. A robotic arm shot out to grab X as he dashed away, charging his X Buster to maximum level. Zero was having similar problems. Before he could slash out at a service robot that was trying to zap him, another robot snatched his Z-Saber and rolled off with it.  
"HEY! Do NOT mess with my Saber!"   
Zero aimed a flying kick at the robot, which received a broken head and fell over. Retrieving the saber, he proceeded to move toward the stairwell in order to chase Sigma. However, the virus was smart. It caused most of the moving robots to block off the stairwell to protect its master. Zero, seeing a chance to use his Kuuenbu (this was an attack he learned from the fourth war) executed the spinning strike. Irregulars fell apart in his wake.  
X, meanwhile, was trying to distract the robots from the crate, behind which were humans. Strategically aiming his shots at the Irregulars closest to the crate, they fiercely threw broken radios at him, while the ones on foot advanced with some dangerous jumper cables, which he realized were parts of their own body. He charged his Buster again as he retreated behind a smashed assembly line. The moment the rain of radio parts stopped, he jumped from behind the machinery and fired the shot, which blew up three of the jumper-cable robots. These Irregulars were to be neutralized, for great justice.  
  
Meanwhile...  
He walked across the street, fully equipped with bucket and mop. Strapped to his waist were bottles of highly acidic detergent, for those really, REALLY tough stains. He wore his salvaged Repliforce hat. By some miracle, no one had required his duties for above an hour at HQ. So he had decided to follow those two youngsters, to see what other mess he could help clean up.  
  
"There are too many of them!" Zero shouted above the sound of exploding robots. Whenever he destroyed one Irregular, two took its place. Sigma had trapped them.   
"I agree!" X shouted in return, dodging radio parts and all manner of junk being thrown at him. No matter how many service robots and robotic arms he picked off with his X Buster, more kept on coming.   
"Can't hold them off much longer!"   
X noted the exhaustion creeping into Zero's voice.  
"We could try to escape and call for backup!" X suggested.  
"Maybe you're right!" He cut another robot to shreds. "But how will we escape?"  
"Don't worry boys, your backup has arrived!"  
"What the...!"  
Standing at the doors was Cutilix! The wily old janitor had somehow managed to follow them!  
"Cutilix! What do you think you're doing? You're going to get destroyed!" X shouted hoarsely.  
"Hmm, maybe someday when I get too worn out, but not today!"  
"You have no chance for survival!" Zero warned, ripping at Irregulars left and right.  
"I'll make my own time, and help you two out! You seem to be tired, anyway."  
"Well, if you can help, then help!"   
Cutilix watched as X performed a difficult maneuver involving dashing and shooting robots behind him while knocking away robots in front of him. The youth of today!   
"Be right with you, X."  
Irregulars had started to advance on Cutilix. With the expertise that came with endless janitorial duty, he flipped out two spray cans and spun them around his fingers, and began to juggle them. The Irregulars stopped to watch the display.  
"Hey! What are you lookin' at?"   
Clouds of gas from each canister swirled around the robots in a fog of vapour. The only thing left when the fog lifted was a pool of dissolving metal. The Irregulars around Cutilix hastily backed off. X stopped to gape at what remained of the Irregulars.  
"Ouch! That had to hurt!"  
"Compressed solutions of 80% Antimony Penta-fluoride in Hydrofluoric acid. Nifty, ain't it?"  
"Spare us the details!" Zero groaned.  
"Fine! Let's finish this."  
The combination of acid spray, Beam Saber, and X Buster was too much for the Irregulars. The three reploids chased them all over the factory, and within minutes none were left. They stood in the midst of their handiwork. Cutilix groaned loudly.  
"Oh, no! Look at what you made me help you do! Now I'll have to clean up this... this janitor's idea of heck! Arghhh..." he put his head between both his palms. X placed a reassuring hand on the poor janitor's shoulder.  
"I never knew that you were capable of such fighting abilities! Hey, Zero, do you think that Cutilix could join one of the Irregular Hunter units?" X asked. But Zero was walking up the stairs, hearing nothing but his own voice.  
"Sigma... SIGMA! Where are you? Come out and face me!"  
"WHAT! How on earth did you survive..."  
"Where are you Sigma? Are you hiding from me back there? Come out!   
"Hah! It seems that all my plans have been for naught. No matter, I can still get rid of you three."  
"Zero! What are you doing?" X said, looking up at Zero who was now on the second floor, with only shadows before him.  
"I'm going to end this now! Come on, Sigma, it's been a long time since we had a one-on-one battle!" He drew out his beam saber, crackling with energy as if his anger was super-charging it.  
From those shadows came the glow of another beam saber, a red one. It was the same saber, Zero realized, that Sigma had used when he was once the leader of the Maverick Hunters. The hated voice gained a body as Sigma came into the light.  
"Zero... my nemesis. It's been months since we met. Have you improved your fighting abilities? I know that I have."  
"You intrigue me, Sigma. Surviving all those years, after so many defeats."  
"Ah, yes. I have insurance against petty things such as disintegration. It does not matter how many times I die, because the Sigma Virus is my soul: immortal and indestructible. You and X, however, have no souls."  
"I wouldn't be too sure! I was destroyed once, and I was revived. How do you explain that?"  
"Quite easily. It's because your memory circuits weren't damaged. You are nothing more than programming code!" Sigma retorted, walking slowly toward Zero. "You wanted to know what caused the Repliforce to become Maverick during the Fourth   
War. I just gave the reason. They were all programs, which were all infected with a virus."  
"But Sigma, I am not just a program. I was not infected. Didn't I tell you during the second war that there is only one Zero, when you made a cheap replica of me?"  
"It may be that your system can resist my virus, but that is unimportant now. Come on, Zero!"  
And the fight began! Within nanoseconds, the two sabers slashed at each other furiously, the Special Class A Hunter and the Maverick leader bearing each other down. Each tried to out-slash the other to no avail. Sparks cascaded around them as the mighty battle raged on. On the first floor, Cutilix was restraining X with both hands as the blue Hunter tried to rush in to help Zero.  
"I've got to stop this!" X yelled. Cutilix, gasping for breath, finally used his mop to lock X's arms behind his back.   
"Listen to me, X! This is Zero's fight. He wouldn't allow you to help him. He has to redeem himself for his past failures to stop Sigma. Can't you get it through that thick Titanium skull of yours that he must do this on his own?" he said. X relaxed a little and sighed, defeated and frustrated.   
"I... I understand, Cutilix. At least you can stop trying to break my arms off behind there."  
"OK, but instead of standing around, now would be a good time to rescue those humans," he advised, releasing X from the arm lock.   
"Of course. I almost forgot."  
While X and Cutilix located the injured humans, got them to their feet and guided them safely out of the factory, the battle continued.   
Above, Sigma was gradually pushing Zero toward the ledge, with repeated attacks that were constantly being blocked and countered by Zero.  
"You can't hope to win, Zero! I am far more powerful than you!"  
"You're just a Maverick! I'm a Hunter! The good guys always win!"  
Zero cross-slashed at Sigma's head, and it was blocked with a deft vertical stroke. Sigma lashed out with his boot at Zero.  
"Ugh!" Zero spluttered, thoroughly winded. The red Hunter was struck in his stomach and staggered backward, closer to the ledge. Sigma gave a lopsided grin and walked forward, oozing confidence with each step. Gasping for air, Zero steadied himself against the rail. About this time X had reentered the factory and was watching with Cutilix by him. Zero held his Z Saber with resolve.   
"This fight is far from over!"  
"Is it?"  
Sigma pressed a button on his right arm.  
"Wha..." Zero said, as a metallic screeching came from the floor under him, where X and the janitor stood.  
"Oh, NO!" X shouted, retreating to the centre of the factory with Cutilix.   
The floor around them was sprouting rows upon rows of deadly spikes! The spikes tore up what remained on the factory floor and the Irregulars, the heaps of metal becoming mounds of shredded slag. X and Cutilix realized that the spikes were closing in on them, and that the doors and windows had disappeared. Sigma laughed.  
"Hee hee hee! You're trapped, X!"  
"WHY does that sound familiar?" X grumbled; hopping onto remaining mounds of wreckage as the spikes closed in on him and the janitor.   
"Sigma! You'll pay for this!" Zero yelled, rushing at Sigma. His enemy was ready, however, and countered the attack.  
"Cutilix, I can jump high enough to reach the railing, but what about you?"  
"Not a problem, X, there is a reason I carry this mop everywhere with me. Hurry up and escape!"  
"But how..."  
"Just go!"  
X used his leg boosters to dash-jump as high as possible. The wreckage beneath him crumbled, and he flew through the air. At the last moment he found contact with the wall beneath the railing. He kicked off the wall several times and eventually grabbed onto the metal railing. He hauled himself over and looked at Cutilix.   
"What the..."  
Cutilix's mop was bolt upright on the floor. As X watched, and as the battle between Zero and Sigma raged on near to him, the top half of mop split into four pieces. The four slender arms sides shone with a strange metal he had never seen before. They bent downward and found contact with the floor. As X gawked, the four arms pushed off the floor, and metallic rungs of the same metal formed from two of the arms. X realized that a ladder was being formed. The top of the 'ladder' seemed to melt and shift and a solid platform was formed on top. Cutilix climbed the rungs and perched on top of the ladder, grinning at X whose jaw was hanging open. The janitor had escaped the spikes, safely on top of his transforming mop.  
"What's wrong, X? Are you trying to catch flies?"  
X abruptly snapped his mouth shut.  
"How on Earth did your... your mop transform?!" X asked, totally confused.  
"It's made of polymorphous metal. It's programmed to form this nifty ladder that I use around HQ. You ain't the first one whose jaw hit the floor."  
"Um, ah, yes, as long as you're safe. Now for more serious matters..."  
He turned just in time to watch Sigma score a hit on Zero's chest. The red armoured Hunter yelled in pain and retreated to one side.   
"What's the matter Zero? I thought that the good guys always win," Sigma jeered, moving toward his enemy. Zero simply growled and attacked headlong. Sigma stood waiting. Zero was still running toward him, blonde hair streaming behind him. With a yell, he charged.  
"Zero!" X shouted, as an incredibly fast sequence of attacks took place. Sigma had dodged to one side (leaving shadows trailing behind him) and slashed at Zero, who had ducked and dashed to one side, firing off his Z Buster. Zero moved so fast that even before Sigma had put up his saber, Zero was spinning through the air, Z Saber flashing. Deciding that the aerial attack was more dangerous, he fended off the powerful slash and ended up being blasted by the Z Buster.   
"Ungh! Very good, Zero..." Sigma said, placing a hand over his smoking armour plate. Zero took the liberty of smiling and blew away smoke from his arm cannon. X's mouth was hanging open again. No wonder only 1 out of 10,000 reploids became Special A Class Hunters, he thought.   
"Now, we're even," said Zero, holding up his saber. Sigma leered at him and his arm transformed into a huge arm cannon. The burnished metal gleamed in the pale yellow light.  
"Not yet!"  
He held up the cannon and it began to charge. Woah, X thought. That thing probably packs more punch than the Plasma Buster does!   
Zero was overawed for a moment at the sheer size of the arm cannon. Then, his instincts took over. Big Gun equals certain death. Solution...Destroy Big Gun. Sigma laughed as he aimed at Zero. The latter just stood there, waiting. X was in a near panic, wanting to shout, "Zero, look out!" or "Zero! Have you lost your mind?!" However, he realized that Zero was no fool when it came to combat, and he forced himself to stay still and watch.  
"Prepare to become dust, Zero!" Sigma said, leveling the huge barrel squarely at Zero's chest. Zero smiled a little. X wondered why. Sigma grinned. Then, the gun fired. Light cascaded in the semi-darkness as a titanic plasma burst roared through the air, trailing orange and red streaks of light. A millisecond later came the explosion! X threw his arms up to protect himself, and was thrown back by the tremendous shockwave, which slammed him relentlessly into another wall. The wall opposite Sigma was totally destroyed, letting in sunlight from outside. Nothing could survive that explosion, X thought. Nothing!   
Smoke filled the room, broken by the stream of sunlight that came into the room.  
Several moments later X got to his feet, coughing, and looked down at his arms. A sizeable shard of metal from the blown-up wall was lodged into his left arm.  
"Damn!" he said through clenched teeth. He tugged at the offending shard, managing to rip it out. Damaged circuitry within his arm was feebly sparking. Pain was setting in.  
"Z...Zero!" he called out, using his undamaged arm to wave away the smoke. The silence was broken by a long, low wail, and X saw a familiar green glow in the smoke.  
"Zero!" X called again, stumbling blindly toward the glow.  
"I'm right here, X, and don't trip over Sigma."  
"Don't what?... AUGH!"  
BAP  
X's boot struck something hard and he fell flat on his face.  
"Oh... that Sigma..."   
"You OK, X?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine. What happened?"  
"Sigma made a big mistake firing off his arm cannon. I simply moved to one side, rolled with the explosion, and while the smoke was still thick, I got rid of his arm." The Saber disappeared into Zero's backpack.  
"What! You did? Good work, Zero! If only I could see you."  
As if on cue, the smoke blew away, through the hole and across the city. X could see the sun beginning to set in the distance.   
"Oh, good grief! Look at this mess! You kids really know how to tear up a place," Cutilix said from behind them, holding a fan. X turned around.  
"Cutlix! How did you escape from below?"   
"Well, right after that loud bomb blast, the spikes just went back down into the floor, and I came up here to see if I could help. Woo-ee! It seems that Sigma needs a run through the assembly line."  
The three reploids looked down at their fallen adversary. Sigma was leaning against another wall, clutching what was left of his arm cannon. The huge gun's barrel was severed and lying a few feet away. The mass of metal on Sigma's arm was giving off sparks and smoke. Sigma's face was a mask of agony.  
"How does that feel, Sigma? It's a small taste of what you have done to so many others!" Zero said cruelly, giving Sigma's arm cannon a kick. The Maverick yelled in pain and dragged himself away from his tormentor.  
"I... shall never... forgive you, for this, Zero! There will come a day... when you shall know your true enemy..."  
X and Zero looked at each other. What on earth did Sigma mean?  
"I am... defeated now, but you two will hear more from me... soon..."   
"What?" X said, looking at where Sigma was pointing his finger. The Maverick pressed several blank spots on his arm cannon, and a digital screen appeared on the gun.  
00:05  
"Uh-oh..." Cutilix said.   
00:04  
"We have to jump for it!" Zero shouted, running toward the hole created by Sigma's own plasma blast.  
"I'm with you!" X said.  
"But... but..."  
"Come on, Cutilix!" X yelled, grabbing onto his arm and forcing him toward the hole.   
"But, who will clean up around here?" Cutilix asked.  
X stopped for a moment to ponder if Cutilix would still carry out his janitorial duties in the next life. Then, he pushed the janitor toward the 'exit'.   
"Ready? Here goes..." Zero said, looking down at the road, where citizens had gathered to watch above. Some were pointing at the three of them, perched two stories above the road.  
00:02  
With a "Hup!" from X, a "Haahh!" from Zero, and a frightened yell from Cutilix, who was unaccustomed to falling from great heights, the trio of reploids flung themselves off the building, falling, falling...  
Back up in the second floor, hunched against a wall, hidden in darkness, the dark voice spoke.  
"Soon..."  
With a high-pitched whine, the arm cannon self-destructed. The entire top floor of the McGraff factory turned into a blazing inferno, sending bits and pieces of the factory raining down onto the streets below. The humans scattered, many returning to their cars, some going to the nearest phone booth to report the explosion. Others stayed behind to watch the three lunatics that had jumped from the building and landed on a car roof. The alarm of the car was screeching very loudly.  
Hanging over the side of the car were three pairs of boots: one dark blue pair, one crimson red pair, and one gray-white pair. The owners pulled their respective boots down and eventually stood up.  
"Hey, this is a car owned by a human. Why is it parked on the sidewalk?" X asked. Zero shrugged. A human male, dressed in an expensive shirt jacket, came running from up the road to them, sweat pouring down his face. When he halted and looked at the car, he screamed.  
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!!!! THIS IS MY CAR! WHY ARE YOU THREE CLOWNS STANDING ON TOP OF IT I'M GOING TO CALL THE POLICE..."   
"Uh, it seems that this car was his car," Cutilix pointed out. While the man in the shirt jacket ranted and raved about his new sports model (YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!!! he had screeched), the trio jumped off the car and hurried away from the scene, away from prying eyes.  
"What do we do now, young 'uns?" Cutilix asked, slapping X on his shoulder. X winced and, ensuring that no humans were following them tried to turn on his arm communicator.  
"Darn it! My communicator was destroyed when the wall exploded and a fragment damaged my arm," he said, turning to Zero who was also hitting his arm communicator several times.   
"Mine was damaged in the fall. How are we going to get back to HQ?"  
"Well, since none of us can phone for help, we might as well use a human method of transport."  
"What form of transport do you know of, Cutilix?" X asked. The wily old janitor grinned, and flagged down a taxi. Opening the door, he stood to one side and gestured to the back seats, giving a mock bow to the two Hunters.  
"After you."  
"Cutilix, you are the craziest janitor I have ever known," X said vehemently. Zero sighed.  
"It's primitive, but it is faster than walking all the way."  
"Hey, are you guys taking my cab or not?" called out the taxi driver, leaning out the window. He took one look at Zero's hair, and muttered, "Crazy kids!"  
"We are going to take a 'cab'," said Cutilix, and he ducked into the taxi. When all three were not so comfortably seated (Zero's backpack forced him to sit hunched forward, and his Z Saber was sticking into X's face, while Cutilix's mop was tangling up their legs) the cab driver turned on the ignition.  
"Where to?" he asked, pulling off the sidewalk.  
"Oh, Maverick Hunter Headquarters," Cutilix replied.  
"Say what?!"  
The cab drove off, the three reploids trying their best to explain where their HQ was located. Then Cutilix nudged X and asked him if he had three dollars to pay the driver.  
  
The Maverick Hunter HQ at 2000 hours  
  
Thus ended the day at HQ. Darkness fell upon the city, and lights began to appear in buildings and on the streets. The nightlife of the city had begun. Within the well-guarded confines of HQ, X and Zero were walking across the well-mowed lawn to Cain Labs. Dr. Cain had summoned them after they had fully repaired at the repair centre. Of course, they were not walking in darkness. Floodlights lit up every square inch of HQ's grounds.  
"So what is it this time?" Zero wondered aloud. He had been thinking of what Sigma had said before he had died (again)- "There will come a day when you shall know your true enemy..." What did it mean? Did it have anything to do with...X?  
"I have no idea. It cannot be anything serious, though. After Sigma destroyed himself, Maverick activities across the city were reported to have stopped," X replied. The Hunters arrived at the entrance. Two reploid guards saluted and stood to one side, as X and Zero went to pay a visit to the Doctor.  
  
"I have a lot to say to you two," Dr. Cain said in a low tone as he turned from the holograph-screen and looked at the two Hunters with a severe eye.   
"First on my list of grievances, the McGraff factory was nothing but a burnt out shell after your battle with Sigma. The manager, it seems, was inspecting another factory in the city, and you can imagine his reaction to what he saw when he returned."  
X and Zero stared at the ground, saying nothing. Like children being told off for setting fire to lawn decorations.  
"Secondly, the manager himself has a further complaint to our HQ. It seems that you two, along with Cutilix our janitor, also destroyed his car!"   
"So that's who that guy was..." they both thought. Dr. Cain stroked his beard thoughtfully, and paced around the room, his cane tapping pensively on the floor. The two Hunters were very anxious as to what Dr. Cain would tell them next.  
"Of course, you both cannot be blamed for what was done. You both, along with the help of Cutilix, destroyed Sigma once again. For that, the citizens of this city and across the world are thankful.   
"Across the world, Dr. Cain?" X asked, looking up.   
"The media are responsible for that. Cutilix, Zero and you are known the world over for what you have done."  
Upon hearing that, the two reploids allowed themselves the luxury of a smile.   
"However," Dr. Cain continued, "that does NOT pay for the car and building insurance. The manager said that he would press no charges against HQ if the building and his rather expensive car were paid for. You are HQ's best Hunters, but you have been very costly to us."  
"Will that be all?" Zero asked, looking hopefully toward the doorway. Dr. Cain frowned and shook his head.  
"HQ was going to newly outfit the lounge with additional luxury devices, such as an indoor swimming pool for our hard working staff of both humans and reploids. UNFORTUNATELY, we can no longer achieve that goal..."  
"Uh oh..." Zero grumbled, staring at the ground again.  
"A unanimous vote was taken among the staff of HQ. For the next week, X and Zero, you are to accompany Cutilix with his janitorial duties. By doing this, you will repay both HQ and its staff for the loss of benefits."  
A long, low groan came from both Hunters.  
  
HQ at 0700 hours the next day  
  
The shrill screeching of wheels from down the corridor broke the silence of the gray pod room. X grimaced in his 'sleep' and eventually awoke. Blinking 'sleep' from his eyes, he left the pod and walked out of the pod room, to be greeted by a very unusual sight.  
Cutilix, pushing along his cart.  
Zero, lugging a large bucket behind him with a mop sticking out of his backpack where his Z Saber used to be. His face was contorted with rage at the indignity he was suffering under.  
A crowd of reploids was following Zero and Cutilix down the hall, jeering and laughing. In the midst of them stood Dozer, the rabble-rousing, purple reploid whom X had confronted yesterday. Dozer grinned broadly at X and walked up to him, followed by the crowd of other reploids.   
"Well, well, well. It seems that our commander X has been once again reduced to a janitor. Here, X, you'll need this."   
He shoved a blue-handled mop into X's hands.  
"I took the trouble to find a mop that matched your colour. Of course, after today I think your face will be as red as Zero's armour!"  
The crowd roared with laughter and jostled off. The three reploids were now left. Zero unsheathed his mop (his Z Saber had been left with Dr. Cain) and stared at it, as if he was holding Sigma's disembodied head.  
"X, I find myself wishing that we had been vaporized in that explosion yesterday."  
"Zero, I know exactly how you feel."  
"You two shouldn't complain. I did this kind of work all my life," Cutilix reminded them. Zero stuck the "Z-Mop" into the janitor's face and warned,  
"Look, you, if you try to make any smart remarks today you'll face the wrath of my mop!"  
Cutilix held up his hands in mock defeat.  
"I surrender! But please, if we don't hurry the anhydrous carbonate will crystallize all over the docking clamps in bay 4..."   
Zero sighed very loudly and stalked off. X fell into stride beside him.  
"Don't worry. It can't be as terrible as we think."   
"X, you have no idea what you're talking about. At least you are a Class B Hunter, but me, a Special Class A Hunter, reduced to THIS?!" he yelled, waving the mop around as if it were a poisonous snake, "I'd rather be tied up and lowered slowly into a pit of magma."  
"Um, you have a point."  
Before the two Hunters could walk off again, they heard Cutilix, that wily old janitor, singing again. As if they had not endured enough torture already!  
"Oh, the janitor of this base, I am, I am! And now X and Zero help me clean up, they do, they do! I'll make 'em scrub up and clean up the mess they made, and then we'll all do it over and over and over again! Dee dee doo..."  
"SHUT UP, CUTILIX!!!" they both shouted, their arms converting to arm cannons. Cutilix shrieked as energy shots blazed around him, and he ran, tripping over himself and his mop, down the corridor. When he had retreated behind a corner, he stuck his head out and yelled,  
"That's no way to treat your elder! And now we'll have to wash off the burn marks on the floor and walls!"  
"AUGH! ENOUGH!" Zero yelled, stalking off again.   
"Zero, where are you going?" X called out.  
"To scrub the docking clamps! We don't want the carbonate to crystallize, do we?"  
X smiled a very grim smile.  
"Be right with you. Come on, Cutilix! We're sorry for trying to shoot you."  
"No problem, X. As long as you hit me and not the poor walls. Look at this mess! Burn marks down the entire length of corridor."  
The two reploids moved off to find Zero. The janitor pushed his cart while the Hunter brought the buckets.  
And as they ran off, they heard the faint sound of a radio playing an instrumental: 'The Flight of the Bumble Bee'.  
  
--END--  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
